20221106013409A

ON O6 NOV 22, E-90 ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WAS BEING FLOWN FROM KJWN NASHVILLE TO KASD SLIDELL ON A REPOSITIONING FLIGHT. THE AIRCRAFT WAS NOT ON AN IFR FLIGHT PLAN, AND NO RECORD CAN BE FOUND OF THE PILOT RECEIVING A WEATHER BRIEF. AT 03:18Z UTC THE AIRCRAFT BEGAN A VISUAL APPROACH TO RUNWAY 18 AT KASD. AT 03:20 UTC THE AIRCRAFT PERFORMED A MISSED APPROACH DUE TO FOG, AND CONTACTING NEW ORLEANS APPROACH REQUESTED AN IFR CLEARANCE FOR AN APPROACH BACK TO RUNWAY 36 AT KASD. THE AIRCRAFT WAS INSTRUCTED TO CLIMB TO 2000' AND WAS GIVEN VECTORS TO THE RNAV APPROACH TO RUNWAY 36 APPROACH AT KASD. AT 03:33 UTC THE AIRCRAFT AGAIN PERFORMED A MISSED APPROACH, AND WAS GIVEN RADAR VECTORS TO A FURTHER RNAV APPROACH TO RUNWAY 36 AT KASD. DURING THIS APPROACH THE AIRCRAFT SHOULD HAVE BEEN AT AN ALTITUDE NOT BELOW 1300’ AT THE FINAL APPROACH FIX (REKKO). HOWEVER, THE AIRCRAFT WAS AT 870’ AND CONTINUED TO DESCEND TO REACH THE MINIMUM DESCENT ALTITUDE OF 460' APPROXIMATELY 2.6 NM SOUTH OF THE RUNWAY THRESHOLD. THE AIRCRAFT CONTINUED TO DESCEND AND WAS LEVELLED AT APPROXIMATELY 300’ 2.2 NM SOUTH OF THE RUNWAY THRESHOLD. THE AIRCRAFT SPEED DECAYED TO APPROXIMATELY 108KTS BEFORE THE AIRCRAFT DESCENDED TOWARDS THE RUNWAY AT APPROXIMATELY 100KTS. THE AIRCRAFT CRASHED INTO THE TREES APPROXIMATELY 200 YARDS EAST OF THE DEPARTURE END OF RUNWAY 36 ON A HEADING OF 020(M) AT 03:45 UTC.

AS EVIDENCED BY THE RIGHT-HAND LANDING GEAR DOORS BEING TORN OFF, AND THE TEAR IN THE RIGHT-HAND WING LEADING TO MASSIVE FUEL LOSS AND A GROUND FIRE, THE AIRCRAFT PROBABLY STRUCK THE TREES RIGHT WING LOW. IT DESCENDED AT A 20 DEGREE ANGLE (AS EVIDENCED BY THE TORN TREES FROM INITIAL IMPACT TO THE GROUND) UNTIL IT IMPACTED THE GROUND AND WAS THEN SWUNG THROUGH APPROXIMATELY 140 DEGREE TO THE LEFT BEFORE COMING TO REST ERECT. BOTH ENGINES APPEARED TO BE PROVIDING THRUST AT THE TIME OF IMPACT, AND THE LANDING GEAR WAS DOWN. THE POSITION OF THE FLAPS COULD NOT BE POSITIVELY DETERMINED. THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT POST-CRASH FIRE WHICH DESTROYED THE AIRCRAFT, AND THERE WAS A PREEMINENT SMELL OF FUEL AT THE CRASH SITE. FUEL STARVATION IS NOT THOUGHT TO BE A FACTOR IN THIS ACCIDENT.

THE PILOT WAS ABLE TO EXTRICATE HIMSELF FROM THE WRECKAGE DESPITE THE FIRE, AND WALK TO THE AIRFIELD PERIMETER FENCE WHERE HE WAS FOUND BY LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT SOME 20 MINUTES LATER. THE PILOT HAD SUFFERED 4TH AND 5TH DEGREE BURNS TO HIS HEAD AND BACK, AND ALSO FRACTURED HIS ARM. HE REMAINS IN A SERIOUS BUT STABLE CONDITION, AND DUE TO THE LEVEL OF SEDATION HE IS ON HAS NOT YET BEEN INTERVIEWED.

ADDENDUM: PILOT INTERVIEWED ON 01/17/23. HIS RECOLLECTION OF EVENTS MATCHES THE DESCRIPTION ABOVE. HOWEVER, HE ADDS THE FOLLOWING DETAILS: UPON STARTING THE FINAL GO-AROUND, WHICH WAS AT A VERY LATE STAGE IN THE APPROACH AFTER HE ONCE AGAIN LOST VISUAL REFERENCES, HE APPLIED FULL POWER. THE RIGHT-HAND ENGINE WAS SLOWER TO WIND UP TO FULL POWER THAN THE LEFT-HAND ENGINE, AND HE WAS DISTRACTED LOOKING AT THE ENGINE INDICATIONS. HE DID NOT NOTICE THE AIRCRAFT YAW TO THE RIGHT AND DESCEND. HE WAS AWARE OF THE AIRCRAFT STRIKING THE TREES AND OF A FIRE ALMOST IMMEDIATELY TO THE RIGHT. HE DID NOT REMEMBER RAISING EITHER THE UNDERCARRIAGE OR THE FLAPS.

IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT THE PILOTS WHO FLEW THIS AIRCRAFT WERE ALL AWARE THAT THE WIND-UP TIME OF THE RIGHT-HAND ENGINE WAS SOMETIMES LESS THAN THE LEFT. THE DOM FOR THE COMPANY HAD DONE A TIMED ENGINE RUN, AND FOUND THE RIGHT-HAND ENGINE WIND-UP TIME WAS SLOW BUT WITHIN LIMITS.